


Space viruses and a house of mentally unstable children

by Rays_exe



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Batdad, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Dick Grayson Being a Little Shit, Dick Grayson Tries to Be a Good Older Sibling, Dog the dog because Jason deserves one, Gen, Jason Todd Has a Heart, fun and games until someone mentions a death, its aight tho, the batgirls just watch this shit go down most of the time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27127564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rays_exe/pseuds/Rays_exe
Summary: I really have no idea why I suddenly think I can write but I need to get this out of my brain. Basically, Bruce returns to Gotham from a space mission with the League. Soon after he finds out he was infected with an alien virus that has different effects on varying types of people. Seeing as there are always people in and out of the Manor he decides to bring everyone in and quarantine them until they know it's safe. We all know how a house full of Bat brats acts, so get ready for one hell of a disaster. (Warning for my average writing. I'm no expert I just want to have fun with this idea).
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Duke Thomas & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

Jason glares at the red, flashing bat symbol on his phone screen. He really wants to just ignore the "family" gathering and keep patrolling the streets of Crime ally alone. But he never gets what he wants apparently, and as much as he hates to admit it, he would never forgive himself if something happened and he wasn't there to help. They may be assholes but he still cares about them. He takes a deep breath and looks at the coordinates that were broadcast from Batman to god knows how many of the bat brats. Wayne Manor. Damn it. It's a family problem. It takes him a few moments to make sure he hasn't done anything to bet back on B's bad side. Eventually, after deciding he’s still in the clear, he finds himself tucking his phone away in his warm leather jacket. "This better be life or death," he mumbles as he gets back on his motorcycle and speeds off to the manor. 

Dick is out patroling with Tim and Damian when they all hear the pre-recorded message from Bruce in their comms. "This is Batman requesting an immediate gathering. My location and other necessary information will be sent out to all of you shortly." The message is brief but they all know that it's bad news. Before Nightwing can speak, Red Robin is typing on the screen projecting from his gauntlet. Robin studies Nightwing trying to read his emotions under his black domino mask. He looks worried and ready to take off the second Tim pulls up the point of origin. He thinks about what his father could possibly need right now. He just returned from an off-world mission with the Justice League. Father shouldn't be out patrolling. He should be resting, or at least staying in the cave doing casework. His attention quickly is drawn from his thoughts when Red speaks up. "Looks like it came from the manor. Not much else than that though. We'll have to go to find out". Before anyone says more, Nightwing is racing to the cycles they dropped in an alley a few hours ago. Red and Robin trade worried looks and follow their older brother. 

The last people to receive the alert are Orphan and Spoiler. They are the furthest from the manor at the moment because two of them prefer to stay away from that end of Gotham. All the people stress Cass sometimes. When they received the help beacon from Wayne manor they were sitting on a rooftop eating Jokerized fries from the Batburger down the street. Well, Cass was the only one eating now because Steph had inhaled them the second they were handed to her. She is constantly hungry and is in no way a steady paced eater. While waiting for Cass to finish she blabs on about how midterms are kicking her ass. She continues talking about random things until they both jump at the voice in their ears. It's the same recording that the boys received moments ago. Steph sighs, she hates these family meetings almost as much as Jason does, and if she is getting it then it is not only the adopted children but ALL of them. Not her ideal night. Cass silently stands up and then pulls Steph to her feet. She continues complaining even though she knows Cass doesn't care and is willing to drag her all the way back to the manor if she has to. "Suck it up," is the only reply Cass gives to her complaints. Steph sticks her tongue out and shoots her grapple to start the long journey back to the billionaire's house on the outskirts of Gotham.   
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After reaching out to everyone he had been in contact with since landing back on Earth, Bruce finally slumps back in the massive chair in front of the bat computer. He idly wonders if the virus is already attacking his body. Alfred, Duke, Barbara, and himself had been trying to figure out what it was for hours now. He’d called Duke and Babs in from patrol first to double-check his work since he knew they weren’t in the middle of important business. The four of them still don’t know much about the virus, unfortunately. While running some tests they found out it is highly contagious and travels from person to person through respiration. That was enough to make him call in everyone from the field. He couldn't risk getting all of Gotham infected with this unknown danger. From what they can tell, the virus is very different from any on Earth, so he sent a sample to Clark hoping that he could identify the virus and its symptoms with the help of The Fortress of Solitude. With the amount of information stored in the Kryptonian's base, there has to be something on it. 

Bruce rubs at his temple. His head hurts and he is so tired. One mission after another. If he’s not busy with the Leauge, there is something happening in Gotham that demands his attention. His headache worsens when he thinks of the danger he brought back to Earth with him. Brought back to his children. If he caused them any harm by exposing them to this unexpected sickness… he doesn’t want to think about it. Dragging himself out of his thoughts he sees Barbara right there, an amused look on her face. Seems like she’d been watching him try to push the pain out of his head for quite a while. 

“You good B?” she says, leaning back on the computer’s control panel. He nods, closing his eyes and lowering his head slightly. As if reading his mind she is then saying, “Clark will know what it is. It’s probably a common alien virus, seeing as the sensors could detect it.” Right, the sensors he put into the cave and Watchtower so that he could tell if anyone was too sick to go out. He only knew about the Earth viruses, but he did have Hal Jordan and Clark working on them, so maybe they input information about other diseases they had encountered in their travels. Deciding she was probably right he hums in agreement and puts his hands back on his temples. Barbra pushes off the panel and walks away silently. As much as he wants to go rest, he’ll have to wait here in the cave for the others to arrive. Until then, he sits in near silence. Alfred went upstairs to make some tea. Duke and Barbara followed soon after to freshen up before the others made it back. They still hadn’t changed out of their uniforms from earlier in the night and they were happy to leave Bruce to his brooding.   
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About 10 minutes later Bruce hears the sound of 3 cycles driving into the cave. He prepares himself. He already knows that everyone will protest being stuck together but he is prepared to enforce the quarantine he has planned. At least until Clark can tell them that they aren’t endangering the public. He figures that out of all of the places you could be trapped with your siblings, a mansion is one of the best. They could easily avoid each other if they really wanted to. The first one he sees is Dick, followed closely by Damian and Tim. He makes eye contact with Dick and he sees the tightness in his shoulders falter. Then Damian speaks up, “what is the meaning of this Father? Nothing seems to be the matter.” He looks annoyed. He always loves patrol and is probably unhappy with the order to come back to the manor. Damian’s eyes widen, “Are Alfred and Titus ok?” Dick chuckles and Tim stops in his tracks and flashes him a crazy look. One that says ‘We get an emergency call from BATMAN and you’re worried about your pets???’ to which Damian places a threatening hand on his the pocket with his batarangs in it. Dick brushes off the encounter and turns back to Bruce. “Anyways, what’s this about B? You’re not even in uniform. Alfie isn’t down here. Everything ok?” Bruce eyes him and then looks behind his eldest son to see Tim and Damian bickering. Always fighting. At least they aren’t trying to kill each other anymore. He turns his attention back to Dick and calmly says, “no immediate danger. I’ll wait until the others get here to explain the situation in full.” Tim snapping his neck towards Bruce catches his attention. It also makes Damian look at him questioningly. “Oh no,” Tim breathes. The realization hits Damian at the same time. “You said others. Like, as in everyone?” Tim looks horrified. Bruce nods and Dick turns to face Tim and Damian. “Oh come on! It’s not that bad having us all together. And I’m sure it’s just for a bit. Right B?” He says gesturing towards Bruce to answer. When he hesitates, all three of the boys groan simultaneously. Usually, long family events end in lectures, broken bones, and or hurt feelings. 

Before he can combat their protests he hears another cycle pull into the cave. The boys quiet as the turn to see who it is. Jason walks right up to landing the bat computer sits on and then turns around back towards the exit in one solid motion. Bruce stands up and questions, “where are you going?” Jason spins on his heel and replies, ”Yer not bleeding out! I’m not needed here.” Finishing off his sentence with a little salute. Bruce opens his mouth but before he can say anything Dick is grabbing Jason’s shoulder. “He’s calling in the whole gang. This is important.” Jason stares at Dick with a look that tells Bruce he’s debating, takes his helmet off, and sighs. “Fine, then what is it?” he says impatiently. “I’ll explain when the girls get here. They shouldn’t be far by now,” It’s taking everything in himself not to lose his temper. Jason seems to know how to anger him easily. Then, after taking his guns, the five of them chat about cases and other work-related topics for a short time. 

Soon Babs, Duke, Steph, and Cass join them in the secret underground base. They are all seated at a big round table in the heart of the gigantic cave. This is the point where the ceiling is furthest from the floor. Jason’s time as robin taught him that this is where most of the bats choose to sleep. Dark and kept away from all the imposter “bats” below. Jason has his feet up on the table, his helmet in his lap. His dark, but not quite black hair is a mess that he has stopped trying to tame. The white streak in it ever prominent. Hemet hair is the one downside to using the title ‘Red Hood’. On his left is Dick. He is currently debating whether or not Bohemian Rapsody is the best song by Queen with Steph and Barbara. Occasionally Duke and Cass will make points but they aren’t particularly interested in picking a side to defend. Tim is asleep to the right of him. He’s taking up two chairs and has been out cold for about 15 minutes now. Poor kid never lets himself rest. Jason is kind of surprised Bruce lets him go out even when he hasn’t slept in over 48 hours. Next to Tim sits Dami, Dick always calls him lil D. Jason is still convinced the D stands for demon, not Damian. He looks like he could jump up from his slouched position and scream bloody murder any minute now. He is obviously not entertained by the comically exaggerated debate happening across the table. His bright green eyes are staring in disgust at the flailing arms of Dick as he tries to prove a point. The last person seated at the table is directly across from him. His hands are locked together, elbows on the table, a look of confusion and annoyance on his face. Bruce. His father. They are pretty distant nowadays. After the whole ‘Im a better batman than you, boo hoo’ fiasco they haven’t talked much. To him, that is a good thing though, the less time spent together, the fewer fights. 

After about 10 more minutes Alfred joins them with tea. They all quiet down when they see him because they know this is the time Bruce finally reveals the reason they were all called here. Alfie sets the trays down and hands each member of the family a mug, waking Tim up in the process. A round of thank-yous accompanies this action, to which Alfie twitches his lips up. That’s about as close to a smile you can get with the old butler. After all the tea has been distributed he excuses himself. That in itself is troubling to all the young vigilantes. That means he knows there are going to be protests and he doesn’t want to hear it. No one can blame him though. This bunch is very loud and aggressive with their opinions. Once Alfred is out of the cave Bruce starts, “Now to finally get to what I wanted to tell you an hour ago.” he pauses and looks around the table, “We have all been exposed to an unknown virus.” It’s out. There is silence for a moment as everyone thinks about his words. Dick and Tim look worried now. Then Steph pipes up seemingly unphased, “Sooooo, what do you know about this ‘Unknown virus’?” A couple of hums and sounds of agreement come from the others. Bruce relays the information he has learned. How they don’t know the effects and have Clark working on it as they speak. 

Everyone already knows what he is going to say next and they all wish he won’t. They are all detectives, the second he said they had all been exposed to a potentially deadly virus they all knew what that meant. The looks of dread on all their faces give away the fact they are all pissed. Tim is the first to speak on what they are all thinking, “Deadly virus, family gathering, patience. You want us to quarantine here. Together.” Bruce nods and a few of their mouths drop open. A chorus of arguments fills the empty cave. One from Damian “I cannot be expected to be stuck in the manor with these fools!” Another from Jason, “Oh hell no! We’ll all end up dead! Some of us again!” Bruce holds up his hands to silence them and explains, “We cannot expose the public to this if we all have it. We also cannot risk being solitary in the case that there are severe symptoms.” The group seems to accept this response but none of them like it. He continues, “I would recommend you all have teammates, colleagues or friends drop off any personal belongings that you require as long as we are stuck here. Until we can guarantee this is not an issue you are all forbidden from leaving this property.” They all look frustrated but don’t say anything because the tone in his voice is a tone no Batman trainee can argue with. Dick, Tim, Damian, Duke, and Cass all have specific bedrooms in the house. They all pop in and out enough that Alfred has kept their rooms clean and organized. However, Jason, Steph, and Babs all have their own apartments that they prefer to stay at. If they stop by it’s only for a night. They usually stay in the guest bedrooms and don’t keep any belongings here in the manor. 

When that realization hits, Jason and Steph make direct eye contact and jump up from their seats, alarming the others. They race up through the house to claim the best guest bedroom in the house. They both stay in this room when they visit and that is for one reason only. It is furthest away from all the heavy traffic areas of the house AND all the other used bedrooms. The mad scramble up to the room results in a frazzled Alfred and a sore spot on Stephs arm from where Jason rammed her into the wall while climbing the stairs. Despite Jason playing dirty she still made it to the room first and claimed victory by sticking her tongue out at him. With the two of them gone, the rest of the bats say their goodnights and head off to do their own thing. None of them want to talk further about the chaos that is about to go down. They all silently agree to keep away from each other for as long as possible but they all know it won’t be long before there are words, fists, or projectiles thrown at one another.


	2. A Surprisingly Good Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bats have the first meal of lockdown together. It goes surprisingly well and Damian blames it no the fact they are all tired. Jason and Alfie have a cute moment together.

Bruce woke up to the curtains being drawn in his humongous bedroom, by none other than Alfred. “Rise and shine Master Bruce. Breakfast will be ready shortly and I expect you to be present to calm the chaos which will accompany the meal.” Oh, right. He’d forgotten that there were 8 other people in the house. Memories flood back to him. Memories of Dick and Jason slaughtering each other with words at breakfast. More memories of Tim and Damian doing the same down the line. Now there are 8 of them. He looks at Alfred, now sitting up in bed, “Of course, I wouldn’t expect you to deal with that.” Alfie nods and ducks back out to the room, most likely to wake the others in time for breakfast. 

He feels well-rested, which is strange considering the things he had to deal with late last night. First, he had to round everyone up because of a potentially deadly virus. Then, he had to tell that group that they had to stay in the manor for an extended time together. Which went much better than expected but it was still a nightmare. Finally, he had to deal with the complaints from Steph and Jason when Alfie opened up two rooms right next to the one Steph had fought so hard for. Although Steph wasn’t happy, she didn’t mind because the occupants of those rooms would leave her alone. Babs and Jason liked to keep their distance most of the time. 

Stepping out of his warm bed, he met with the chilling air of the manor. It would heat up as it got later in the day. He’d found that a few of his children liked to sleep with the air cooler for some reason. Dick tried to explain it to him once, something about liking it because he could pile on blankets. It never really made any difference to Bruce though. He walks to his closet and picks out an outfit for today. A white t-shirt and a pair of black pants will do as he’s not trying to impress anyone. His closet isn’t full of color and never has been. In his opinion, simple is better. After dressing, he moves to his bathroom. He combs and gels his hair and then brushes his teeth and leaves the room. 

The second he closes the door behind him there is a rush of air as Dick runs by him. He’s already dressed and ready for the day. Wearing some of the older clothes he kept in his room before he moved out. Bruce is partially shocked to see Tim chasing after him. Tim, unlike Dick, is only wearing a towel. His hair is wet and Bruce assumes that he had just been in the shower. “You asshole! Get back here,” Tim shouts, stopping at the top of the stairs. “Language,” Bruce mutters from behind the youngest of the two. Dick is long gone now and Tim turns back towards his adoptive father. “He dumped a bucket of cold water on me in the shower, B! That is deserving of a swear word.” He says, pointing his finger in Dick’s general direction. Maybe Bruce should scold Dick for torturing his brother but all he can do is sigh. This is going to be an exhausting endeavor. He thinks about going back on his lockdown order for a moment before deciding against it. He looks back at Tim and says, “I’ll speak with him. Go finish getting ready, Alfred will not be happy if you miss breakfast.” Tim rolls his eyes and heads back to his room. Like hell, he’ll talk to him. That just means glaring intensely until he’s sure Dick won’t do it again. 

Once Bruce makes it down to the open kitchen/dining area they eat breakfast in, he is met with Duke, Steph, and Cass all dressed and talking about something he can’t quite hear at the bar. Behind them at the wooden table sits Barabra, and Damian, also fully dressed for the day. They are at opposite sides of the table looking at their phones, Titus’ head in Damian’s lap. While Babs is one of the few people Damian respects, he won’t go out of his way to talk to her often. Behind the bar, at the stove are Dick and Alfred. Looks like after pranking his brother, he decided to take cover by helping Alfie. No one dares mess with the butler of the house, even if he wasn’t the original target. With Tim finishing up with getting ready and Jason probably choosing to avoid the large gathering, everyone is accounted for. Though he makes a mental note to check and make sure Jason is still in the manor. It wouldn't be the first time he snuck out when he had direct orders to stay put. 

As he walks past the table and the quiet conversation at the bar he greets Dick with a stern look. Dick hides behind Alfie and flashes him a mischievous grin and says, “Aw come on B. It was hilarious." Damian, who was listening in, asks, “Did you get any blackmail material from it? I’m gathering...evidence.” Dick looks slightly worried but it quickly fades into that same grin as before. “You bet I did Dami!” He pulls out his phone and sits in the chair next to Damian to show him the video of Tim screeching in reaction to the cold water. Bruce should put a stop to the ever-expanding amounts of “blackmail” material all of his children have on each other but he thinks it's gone too far for him to do anything about it. Instead, he turns back to Alfie and inquires as to what he is making for breakfast, “Smells great Alfred, waffles?” He receives a nod from his father figure who then says, “Master Damian seems to like them quite a bit. So does Ms. Stephanie I believe.” Bruce couldn’t fathom someone not liking Alfreds’ cooking. There isn’t a single thing he has ever made that Bruce hasn’t enjoyed. “Yes, I guess he does enjoy them. Though I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying them.” Alfred slowly nods and focuses back on the waffle iron and Bruce takes that as the end of the conversation. 

He takes a seat at the table next to Dick after grabbing the cup of coffee that was poured for him earlier by Alfie. Dick immediately stops talking with Damian and turns his phone off. Bruce notes that they are definitely up to something and he’ll monitor it. “So are you gonna tell the other bats about our situation?” Dick says, pretending he wasn’t just conspiring with Dami. “I’ll notify Kate, Luke, and Jean-Paul later today. I’ve already told Helen but it seems she isn’t in the states at the moment.” He takes a sip of his coffee and waits for Dick’s response. “I feel bad dumping all of Gotham on them. I hope we’re cleared soon,” Dick’s face lightens, “And Wally is dropping my stuff off later today. I told him to leave it at the gates of the manor.” The older man hums and replies, “As long as you keep your distance.” Dick looks across the table at Babs and inquires, “Is someone dropping your stuff off? I’m sure Wally wouldn’t mind grabbing some of your things on the way over.” She looks up from her phone and tells him that she’s already arranged for Dina to stop by in a few hours with her belongings. 

Bruce looks past Dick and Damian towards the bar and asks, “Stephanie, do you have someone who can drop off your belongings at the gates of the manor?” She draws her attention away from her conversation with Duke and Cass and says, “Ya, Harper says she’ll drop by around 4 when she gets off work.” That's good at least. There’s only Jason and Tim he has to check with now. He’s sure they have someone to drop off their things, he doesn’t want them to be uncomfortable the whole time. Besides, he’s pretty sure Jason has a dog he needs to care for at home. 

A few minutes later Tim joins them. He plops down next to Barbara and sips a black coffee he pulled out of thin air, the whole time glaring at Dick. “I believe the Waffles are finished,” Alfred says, setting a stack of plates and silverware down at the table, “be civil.” At the announcement, the three kids from the bar move to the table, and the others pass around the eating utensils. Once everyone is prepared, Alfred places a plate with a tall stack of waffles down in the center of the huge table, along with some butter and a bowl of cut-up fruits. 

Damian is the first to lunge at the stack. Determined to get at least two before everyone else. Then Steph snags a few for her and Tim. Who is too tired to even try to get any for himself. Cass sneaks one from Damian's plate while he is trying to get Titus to go over to his now full food bowl. When he notices the missing waffle he glares and takes another from the pile. He knows he can’t challenge her and win. Dick grabs one for himself and loads Barbara's plate up for her. Duke is the last to get any and he takes two, thanking Alfred. He’s been with this family for a while but they still baffle him. Even though they know there are plenty of waffles for everyone and Alfred is happy to make more, they all are so quick to act. He figures that has a lot to do with the fact they were all raised… differently. Once all the kids seem happy with the waffles they got, Bruce takes two and puts butter and fruit on them. All of the occupants at the table do the same thing, some wavering slightly. Dick skips out on the fruit. Steph goes heavy on the butter. Tim eats his waffle with his hands. Breaking off bits and nibbling on them while texting someone while engaging in the small talk that has started around the table.

It’s all pretty quiet surprisingly. Bruce chalks that up to all of them being super tired but he’d like to say it’s because he has authority over his kids even if he knows he doesn’t and never has. Steph is the first to finish her waffles. She thanks Alfred and heads back to her room, sending up a peace sign as she exited the room. When Tim realizes she’s leaving he shoves the rest of his waffle in his mouth and says, “ey! Ait!” he chases after her, and Bruce hears him say something about getting back at Dick. Oh no, Dick started an all-out war with the stunt he pulled earlier and now Stephanie is getting involved? Duke’s voice stops his train of thought when he picks his plate up and takes it to the sink, “I'm gonna go train. Cass?” She sits slides out of her chair and nods, kissing Alfred on the forehead before leaving. Barbara excuses herself and heads back to her room shortly after.

Now it’s just Damian and Dick at the table, the room is silent save for the sound of the icemaker and the outside noises drifting in through the open windows. Bruce sips his coffee slowly, breathing in the strong smell.“That went surprisingly well," Dick claims while shoving the last bite of his waffle into his mouth. Damian puts his empty plate on top of Dick’s and smirks as Dick gets up to put them both in the sink.“Yes, probably because Todd isn’t here and, Brown and Drake were tired,” he says as if stating the obvious. Dick places a dramatic hand on his chest and says, “Hey! All three of them are amazing just the way they are.” Damian looks at him like he’s an idiot and says nothing in response. Dick turns his head to look at Bruce, “Do you agree?” Hm, that’s an interesting question. Jason is often the cause of the issues in the family. When he’s not, it’s either Tim and Damian fighting, Dick pissing someone off because of how flamboyant he is, or Stephanie being a smart ass. He would say that but he doesn’t think it will sit well with Dick. “We all have issues, maybe this was an example of all of us putting them aside.” He makes a point to look at Damian while saying this. He’s come a long way but he still has a lot to learn. Dick beams at him and says, “See Dami! Even B agrees!”

The three of them help Alfred clean up and wash dishes while talking about a variety of things. Damian's pet hoarding problem, Bruces’ orphan adopting problem, Titans drama, league gossip, everyday conversations. Dick excuses himself from clean up when he gets a text from Wally saying he’d dropped off his belongings. Leaving Damian and Bruce in the kitchen chatting, Alfred goes to check up on Jason. 

‘Knock Knock’ “May I come in Master Jason?” Alfred doesn’t wait for a response before opening the door. Before him, he surveys the room. It’s nothing like the untouched room he used to sleep in years ago. His old room had red walls, books and clothes always strewn everywhere. This room is painted white. It has the bare minimum decor, making it looks bland and lifeless. Jason is sitting on the side of his bed in someone of Bruce’s shirts and the pants from his uniform. While they may be filthy, they are just normal cargo pants. Jason looks up from whoever he’s texting to stare at Alfred. “You didn’t join us for breakfast. Just wanted to make sure you’re alright,” that was true. But Alfred also wanted to spend more time with his grandson. Jason had been so distant and Alfred is going to take advantage of every moment that Jason is in the manor. Jason is silent a moment before saying, “‘m good Alf. Promise,” he smiles kindly and then continues, “I’d just rather miss as many fights as possible with the big man.” Alfred hums and fully steps into the room It’s sad really. They were Batman and Robin, the dynamic duo! Now they’re at each other’s throats every time they speak. 

Jason looks back down at his phone as Alfred sits on the bed next to him. “Do you have someone to drop off your belongings?” he asks gesturing to Jason's phone. “Yeah, Roy’s poppin’ by later to drop off Dog and a couple of our things,” he says it as if he didn’t just call his dog ‘Dog’. Alfred sits up straighter, “Master Jason, please tell me you didn’t name your dog ‘Dog’”.When he receives no response he sighs, “I’m sure Master Damian could help you find a name. He is quite good with animals.” He would know. The amount of stray dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, and reptiles he has had to clean up and take to owners or pet stores is staggering. That boy is a magnet for lost pets. The weirdest part is that they immediately trust him. Jason looks offended, “No way in hell am I letting that demon anywhere near Dog.” Alfred swats his arm for swearing and replies softly, ”Take a chance with him. He’s difficult but he reminds me of a certain someone.” He winks and leaves the room to dust the foyer. 

Jason ponders what Alfred said. Now that he thinks about it, he’s never really bothered to get to know Damian on a personal level. It’s never seemed worth his time, seeing as Damian brushes off every encounter they have with an insult. The dog does need a name and Jason has heard from several sources that Damian loves animals. Maybe this is his in. Maybe he’ll try with his little brother. Maybe.


	3. Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't edit this lmao. We die like Robins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyhey! So uh, here's the next chapter! I've got some exciting stuff planned for next time but for now, have this kind of filler.

Since Alfred had left the dynamic duo after finishing breakfast clean up, Bruce and Damian were alone in the kitchen. Bruce had never been great at small talk. He hadn’t been great at being a father either. He never knew how to start conversations with anyone. 

“So,” He began “How have your violin lessons been going? Do you like your new teacher?”

Damian huffed and folded his arms, “They are going well. I still think I could learn faster if it was one on one.” He really couldn’t understand why his father had put him in a class with other kids. They had the funds but Bruce insisted that he should have social interaction outside of the few kids he talked to at school.

Bruce already knew how Damian felt about the group lessons but he stood firm on his decision. “You need to make more friends, Damian. Ones that can’t fly or see through walls.” As fond of Jon Kent, as he was, Damian also needed to see the non-hero side of life. Bruce had a feeling that would be extremely difficult yet beneficial. 

Damian got tense at the mention of his best and an only real friend. “What’s wrong with Jon?” he asked demandingly. Jon had been nothing but tolerant and helpful with Damian. Jon had shown him a friendship different from anyone else he had ever met. 

Bruce sensed the situation turning hostile as it usually did and tried to relax. Why was he so bad at just talking to people? “Nothing is wrong with Jon,” he sighed as Damian’s shoulders lowered from his ears. “He has been a good friend and I’m glad you have each other. I apologize for insinuating he was anything but.”

Damian didn’t get to respond because of Bruce’s phone pinging. A message from Clark saying they had identified the virus, and to call him ASAP. They put their conversation aside and hurried down to the cave to receive the message.   
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Although father-son bonding is adorable, Tim and Steph had important business to attend to. 

Once Tim had convinced Steph to join him in a war against Dick, they secluded themselves in her temporary room and started to conspire. Dick would no doubt be putting together his own plans and they could, and would not be beaten. 

“The shower prank won’t be hard to come back from,” Tim said while tapping his pen on his chin. It was simple enough that there are many ways to up the antics. 

Steph thought for a moment “Agreed, it’s a simple prank. It was probably meant to chum the water instead of being an actual attack.” If someone had walked into her room, they would see two teenagers sitting crossed-legged on the floor in front of a whiteboard with stick figures on it. They looked absolutely insane too. Planning out the demise of their brother through pranks and poorly drawn scenarios. Prank wars were no joke to the Wayne kids. 

She spoke up again, “We could start rumors about him. Get them to the press and ruin him?” There was a pause before Tim responded, “Hmmm a possibility. But seeing as how I’m in charge of WE, I would be roped in and have to fix it.” 

Steph was already coming up with new ideas before he had even finished his sentence. “Well, he’s having some things dropped off today, right?” She didn’t wait for him to answer as the thought developed further. “What if we slowly snagged one item at a time from his room. He would have to question everyone to find out who took it.” 

Tim pondered for a moment, “Well, I would be his number one suspect since he pranked me this morning. He would figure it out too quickly.” Steph grinned mischievously, “Not… Not if we get everyone involved in this war.” It was over. Dick Grayson and any other person who sided with him would fall. The team of Steph and Tim would be his downfall. 

They both smiled wickedly and planned out their next moves with precision.   
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Just on the other side of Stephs wall, was Barbra Gordon's room. She had no idea what was going on in there but, she supposed she would find out soon enough. 

She was currently occupied doing some casework for the Birds of Prey on her laptop. As crummy as it was to work in her room, she isn’t crazy enough to go down to the cave. Who knows what she would encounter on the way? 

It didn’t matter much anyway because she was just about done filling out the info for the other girls. Since she would be unavailable in the field, she thought it best to help in any way possible, and right now that was by doing all the research. She was fully committed to this team’s cause and it showed. They made a great team even when they were at odds, and in a lot of ways, they had become a weird little family. 

As she closed out of the case file tabs, she looked at the time. Dinah will be dropping her things off any minute now. If she remembered correctly (which she always did) then Dick had already grabbed his things from Wally an hour or so ago. 

She opened her bedroom door and peaked out. Not a noise would be heard and it was greatly unsettling considering the number of people in the manor. She stepped out of the doorway and made her way down the stairs to the foyer where she smiled kindly at Alfred. Then she made her way out the door after slipping some shoes on. 

She didn’t expect the chill in the air. It was only September but everything was crisp with frost. The grass crunched beneath her feet as she made her way out to the gate. It was unnaturally quiet around the Wayne residence, and it had always been that way as long as she had known Bruce and Dick. 

However, the silence didn’t last as she heard yelling behind her. She stopped in her tracks and turned around to spot Dick running to catch up to her. 

Once he reached her he said, “Is Dinah here already?” He was supposed to pick up his belongings from Wally forever ago but he was always late and had just texted him that he was on his way. 

“Yeah, is Wally late?” She asks with a smirk, already knowing the answer. Despite being speedsters, they all managed to be the worst at time management. 

Dick chuckled and shoved his hands into his pockets. As he did that she noticed his unnerving amount of jackets. It wasn’t THAT cold outside. She could admit though, that she should have gotten one before leaving the warm manor. 

“Gimme one of those,” she said pointing to his stacked jackets. There’s no way he would miss one out of his 1,2,3,4… 4 JACKETS? 

He looked shocked and said, “I would never! I could never! I need them all! Not only is the manor cold but it’s also cold out here! And you want to take one of my-” He stopped when she raised one eyebrow at him, still smiling. 

Huffing he shrugged off his first jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She zipped it up and continued walking to the gate as if nothing happened. “Coming?” she asked when she realized he wasn’t following anymore. 

“Yeah,” he sighed, one jacket lighter.   
\--  
Once they had reached the gate, they found a few bags with their respective belongings inside. Babs had more belongings than Dick, so he offered to carry some and she gladly accepted. Just one of the many perks of growing up on the road. You learn what’s necessary and what's not. 

They made their way back to the manor’s front door while they talked about recent happenings. The Birds of Prey, the Titans, they talked about the things that wouldn’t end in difficult questions and tears. They had had enough of that in their relationship. 

They both valued their friendship immensely. As one of the first people Dick got close to after his parents’ deaths, Babs was always there and always supportive. Regardless of what happened later in their relationship, they would always be close. Through thick and thin, through heartbreak and awkward encounters, they were inseparable.   
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Down in the cave Cass and Duke trained after the first family breakfast of the quarantine. 

“This is gonna take some getting used to,” Duke said as he ducked one of her punches. It took some time but they learned to read each other so well they could really talk while sparring. Well, Duke talked and Cass said a few words here and there.

Cass dodged Duke's attempted kick to her side and responded, “All of us.” Duke huffed, amused. She hadn’t been in the family for too much longer than he had but she was still around more of them and knew them better. To hear her say all of them are new to this didn’t shock him though. None of the bats were particularly fond of this situation ever happening. 

Duke hadn’t been prepared for her to grab his leg and slam his back on the wrestling mat. Damn, that took the wind out of him. He’d never beat her but he could try every time. He wasn’t sure if Bruce could even beat her if she didn’t hold back. In time she would surpass even her mother in skill. 

Cass smiled down at him and offered her hand to help him up. “Getting better little brother.”

Still recovering from the hit he responded breathlessly, “Heh, yeah, I lasted a whole 3 seconds against you!” She rolled her eyes. They had been sparring for much longer than 3 seconds. That round had been at least 2 minutes, but she had been holding back. 

“Tired, water break?” She asked, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. They’d been training for nearly an hour and it was still only morning. 

“I actually think I’m gonna hit the showers.” he says nodding towards the locker room, “you coming?” She thinks for a moment. She doesn’t have anything else to do other than train at the moment. “I’ll stay,” she pushes him towards the showers, “Go, stinky.” She smirks and plugs her nose. 

“Haha, very funny Cass.” Sarcasm dripping from every word. But he does what she says and heads for the shower room built into the cave. 

Once he’s out of sight she pulls out some headphones. She had recently discovered podcasts and found that they were a great way to learn social cues through language. After some misunderstandings over comms, she figured she could learn a thing or two from studying the way people speak without the distraction of their bodies.   
She ends up picking a podcast about the Bermuda triangle. Not for any reason in particular other than it sounds intriguing and the speakers' voices sound nice. 

She slides the earpieces into her ears and starts one of the treadmills in the cave. Running is a task she can do easily while listening and it still gets her heart rate going. Though the concept of a treadmill is genius, it still confuses her why you would prefer it to running outdoors or around an indoor track. She finds it weird to run in place without a destination.   
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Just as she is nearing the 2-mile mark and her podcast is deep into the topic of a missing plane, she sees Bruce and Damian rush into the cave. Alarmed, she slowly stops the treadmill and takes out her headphones. 

Damian is the first to notice she is staring at them as Bruce pulls up a video call on the bat-computer. “Superman has an update on the finding of the virus.” He explains while she hums in acknowledgment and walks closer to them. It goes silent in the cave except for the clacking of the keyboard. 

At that moment, Duke comes out of the locker room in new clothes and a wet towel in his hand. Seeing all three of them staring intently at the screen he gets concerned, “Whoa, what's happening.” Before anyone answers, Clark’s face pops up on the monitor. 

The audio is a little fuzzy but he still comes through clear, “I have some bad news.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tysm for reading! Again sorry for the crummy writing XD.  
> Uhh yeah. Bye. Enjoy ur day or night!


End file.
